Some products ordered by consumers require refrigeration or freezing to maintain the freshness or texture of the products. While such products are typically kept in large refrigerators, chillers, or freezers during storage at an order fulfillment facility (e.g., warehouse, distribution center, retail store, or the like), delivering such products while maintaining the desired temperature of the products presents a challenge. Generally, preserving frozen products frozen and cold products cold during transportation between facility and during delivery to consumers is a challenge which is usually solved by delivery trucks having refrigerator, chiller, or freezer compartments.
Equipping delivery trucks with refrigerator, chiller, and/or freezer units is expensive and requires the use of professional drivers, adding to the transportation cost for retailers. In addition, providing electrical power and mechanical maintenance to such units is expensive. Since many delivery trucks transport products other than refrigerated and frozen products, the refrigerator/freezer units on delivery trucks are often underutilized. As such, a need exists to provide a more efficient means for transporting refrigerated and frozen products without having to freeze an entire cargo area or an entire section of a cargo area of a truck.
Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. Certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.